Who sculpted the Alternative Armies Fantasy Warlord range?

[Hobgoblin]

A bit of a mystery, this one, though I have a vague inkling that I knew the answer at the time: who designed the miniatures for this range?





There was a parallel Fantasy Warlord range done in part by Bob Olley (and still in production at SHQ Miniatures), but the AA range is somewhat mysterious. A moonlighting Citadel designer? Whoever it was was/is very good - they're very nice miniatures.

Anyone have any idea?

[JollyBob]

If you click through the pic of the Dwarf Hero, it names the sculptor as Kev Adams.

If so, I would assume he did most/all of them, but that seems to be the only one where a sculptor is named.

[Hobgoblin]

Aha, thanks! Yes, that would make sense; odd, though, that his involvement isn't trumpeted by AA (as they do for other stuff). The orc leader does have an Adams-y look about the torso armour, right enough, though the overall style is a little different from his normal stuff:

[Major_Gilbear]

Apparently, the FW 8 Dwarfs, FW 5 Urucks, and FW 9 Ogres were all by Bob Olley.

And as well as Kev Adams (dwarf heroes), I think Gary Morley did some (dwarf troopers, weapons ), and I think it's also possible Bob Naismith may have sculpted some too...

You might also try asking Alternative Armies, who apparently still have the original moulds to the figures and can cast them up on request?

[Hobgoblin]

Apparently, the FW 8 Dwarfs, FW 5 Urucks, and FW 9 Ogres were all by Bob Olley.

Yes, those are the ones in that FW Folio Works range (it's really odd that the one game had two parallel ranges at the same time!). The Urucks are - I think - now the SHQ Hill Orcs (judging by the shaman photo from that range) and this Instagram photo. They look irresistibly cheap on SHQ!

The other Uruks/Western Orcs are clearly by whoever did that Orc leader: they look almost like the work of a Kev Adams/Jez Goodwin hybrid!

And as well as Kev Adams (dwarf heroes), I think Gary Morley did some (dwarf troopers, weapons ), and I think it's also possible Bob Naismith may have sculpted some too...

You might also try asking Alternative Armies, who apparently still have the original moulds to the figures and can cast them up on request?

Aha - I'm much less familiar with Gary Morley's stuff. Bob Naismith's a good call.

Good point on AA! Yes, they still have them for sale on the main site and have written blogs about them.

[JollyBob]

Yeah, I'm surprised sculptors aren't mentioned on the AA listing page as I thought they normally did with old school stuff. At least they have been with the recent Nick Bibby re-releases.

Come to think of it, I can't remember if they name Bob Olley on their Erin stuff, but he's so recognisable they maybe don't need to!

[Hobgoblin]

Come to think of it, I can't remember if they name Bob Olley on their Erin stuff, but he's so recognisable they maybe don't need to!

They don't seem to, but, then again, he only did some of it (the first Sidhe warriors - very distinctive as you say). If memory serves, these and the first Fomorians (not by Olley) were originally released by Fantasy Forge (or Grendel?). The later stuff (Milesians, more Fomorians) was Alternative Armies from the outset, I think and is by a third sculptor.

So perhaps they're not drawing attention to the designers to make the range look more seamless.

[Patrice]

  Thanks for this post. I own a few (not many) of these since ...many years, and I never wondered where they were from.

[Eoin OCnaimhsi]

I am currently painting up both Dwarves and Urucks/Orcs from both SHQ and AA ranges and both are probably from the same sculptor, otherwise I wouldnt have matched them.

I am assuming the Fantasy Warlord range was the same sculptor?

Note: SHQ does not have all of the dwarves in its range which it advertises.

[Hobgoblin]

I am currently painting up both Dwarves and Urucks/Orcs from both SHQ and AA ranges and both are probably from the same sculptor, otherwise I wouldnt have matched them.

I'm pretty sure that the AA orcs aren't by Bob Olley (I could be wrong!): the SHQ ones have his characteristic wrinkly gloved hands and distinctive knuckles, as well as more stylised arm musculature and longer upper lips. The AA ones don't have those or any of the other distinctive Olley traits.

I've only seen photos of the SHQ ones, and they look very obviously Olley. I have a few AA ones, and they look quite different (spindlier, more naturalistic), though they're obviously designed to a similar brief (three-fingered hands, long mail coats, separate weapons).

The more I look at the AA ones, the more I wonder about Jes Goodwin: the faces of the AA ones aren't a million miles from his Citadel Uruk-hai and ogres.

[Hobgoblin]

I found this picture of some of the SHQ/Olley ones on eBay (for comparison with the AA one above):



What a great range in the 'mature' Olley style - it's amazing that SHQ don't do more to advertise those!

[Hobgoblin]

I am currently painting up both Dwarves and Urucks/Orcs from both SHQ and AA ranges and both are probably from the same sculptor, otherwise I wouldnt have matched them.

Do you have any photos of them? Would be great to see more shots of the SHQ ones in particular!

[nicknorthstar]

Hi Hobgoblin.
I know, I was there. I would have laid out that flyer.

The Dwarves, Eastern Orcs & humans were Gary Morley, pre-GW.

The Elves, Orcs and Goblins were Chaz Elliott.

The Ogres were a mix. Chaz did the heads and weapons, but left before finishing them so Gary did the bodies.

The listing as Kev Adams is wrong. Kev did some figures for AA but it was after the whole Fantasy Warlord project collapsed, he was still at GW at the time.

They aren't the same AA BTW. The Fantasy Warlord figures were made when AA was in Nottingham. The company was sold to the current owners in Scotland a good few years after the FW project, there's non of the same people involved anymore.

[nicknorthstar]

They don't seem to, but, then again, he only did some of it (the first Sidhe warriors - very distinctive as you say). If memory serves, these and the first Fomorians (not by Olley) were originally released by Fantasy Forge (or Grendel?). The later stuff (Milesians, more Fomorians) was Alternative Armies from the outset, I think and is by a third sculptor.

So perhaps they're not drawing attention to the designers to make the range look more seamless.

It was all AA to begin with. Bob Olley made the Sidhe and Chaz Elliott made the Fomorians. Chaz Elliott went to work for Fantasy Forge after, and Bob Olley threw a dicky fit & walked out claiming AA was just a front for Brian Ansell and he'd never work for that %$£& again, leaving the bemused owner of AA with a part finished Celtic Myth range in his hands. The range was continued (The Milesians & other Fomorians) by Andy Cooper, who now owns West Wind of course.

[Major_Gilbear]

Wow, thanks Nick - very interesting indeed!